Budda Baker feigns irritation when he talks about being considered old. He heads into a 10th NFL season, of course, but the man just turned 30. That is far from old.
But the safety is seasoned, and that experience is littered with accolades. His peers around the NFL understand that reputation, and so Baker landed for a seventh straight year on the NFL Top 100 list on Wednesday, at No. 75 overall.
"I listen to a song called 'Pride Is The Devil' by J. Cole," Baker said during OTAs. "For me, it's a matter of, each and every year, putting in that work to be better. To be better as a player, to be better as a person and a teammate. I know I'm entering Year 10, but feeling like every year is my rookie year, continuing to work and grind like I need to earn the job."
Baker wasn't able to make the impact he did in 2024 for the Cardinals -- his ranking dropped from 34 to 75 -- but he was also trying to help keep together a defense that was ripped up by injuries to starters (or potential starters) like Walter Nolen III, Mack Wilson Sr., Garrett Williams, Starling Thomas V and Sea Murphy-Bunting.
Baker's streak on the list carries with it weight. Regardless of how the voting may evolve, it does mean the rest of the NFL's players have significant respect for Baker. (That also was underscored when Baker won the Art Rooney Sportsmanship award for the league back in February.)
Baker's Top 100 rankings by year:
- 2025 - 34
- 2024 - 89
- 2023 - 73
- 2022 - 67
- 2021 - 19
- 2020 - 97
